Page 5 of Out of Office Nights
He laid out his expectations to them both, barely waiting to finish speaking before his gaze returned to her.
To see her eyelids dropping as if hiding her true expression from him, right before the tiniest flutter of her delicate nostrils and unwavering stare ended with a brisk but husky ‘Accepted.’
Then she rose fluidly to her feet.
The burnt orange clung to every perfect inch of her. The hands she smoothed over her slim, supple thighs the very essence of elegance.
Teo’s belly tightened all over again. Right before he cycled through his mental list of which of the beauties to summon tonight. Because he needed this years-long preoccupation with Sabeen El-Maleh to end.Now!
This little professional storm in a teacup was over. Time to put it in his rearview.
Time to bring out the playboy.
Entrench himself in the comfortable skin of the persona that had been his lifeline since his mid-teens. Part of him freely accepted that yes, he wasn’t averse to being fussed over by members of the opposite sex. That far from tarring all womenwith the same brush that his mother fully deserved, they were the solution to the deep hollow in his soul.
He wasn’t like Azar before his oldest brother had found his soulmate. He didn’t despiseallwomen simply because of the failing of one.
So what if the most important one had turned out be a vile manipulator? He’d used his mummy issues to his advantage. Sought solace where others would’ve avoided it under the cowardly banner of trauma transference. And it’d worked a treat.Hadn’t it?
Acutely aware that he was staring at the only woman who’d called their one sizzling kissa mistake, then proved she was resistant to his charms by treating him like a plague in their brief meetings since his brother’s wedding; that his gaze had strayed unprofessionally far too many times over her svelte body; and that Cristobal was still in the room, watching Teo’s unwilling attraction unfold, he shot the other man a sharp look.
‘Since you’re still here, I’m assuming you’re on board too?’
Cristobal struggled to his feet, thrusting out his double chin in pitiful defiance. ‘If there is no other way, then I’m on board, as you say.’
Teo waved at the door. ‘Shouldn’t you get on with it, then?’ He couldn’t halt the snap in his voice, his fingers drumming the desk as Cristobal exited.
Proving her insultingly easy aversion to him, Sabeen pranced away on six-inch heels, throwing over her shoulder, ‘I’ll get on with it too, shall I? See you in six weeks.’
Fresh irritation sparked in his belly.She did that to him. Every. Single. Time.‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’
She froze, then turned in a pirouette he’d seen a thousand times on the catwalk and yet still made his blood rush through his veins.
A small crease dissected her smooth forehead, right before one elegant brow arched. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘The Fashion America Gala is in two days. You’re coming with me.’
Her frown melted away, replaced by displeasure. ‘Wasn’t Cristobal going to be representing House of Domene? With your blessing?’
Was there censure in her voice? He refused to acknowledge it. ‘I had plans to be in Milan, but since your antics have brought me here instead, I’ll be attending. With you instead of Cristobal. Do you have a problem with that?’
‘And if I have plans of my own?’ she parried.
Tension tightened, an unwelcome dissection of what those plans could be, attacking him. What the hell was wrong with him? ‘Cancel them. And before you object further, remember what you have to gain. Or lose.’ He allowed himself a ruthless smile that made her stiffen ever so slightly. ‘Need I remind you that earning a permanent place as my creative director isn’t just about compiling a collection? That it’s also about being a team player for the brand as a whole?’
The threat hung between them, as he’d fully intended. His passion for creating exquisite designs might be his driving force, but he was also a businessman. One determined to win at all costs, but specifically for this vital next project. His chance to earn the rightful respect he deserved and his place in the Domene family tree.
Several seconds of tense silent contemplation later, she nodded. ‘I’ll attend. If you insist.’
‘I shouldn’t have to. It’s your job, so I expect you to be there.’
Her lips pursed, and Teo was astonished by how much that display of temper pleased him.Dios mio, she would be glorious in full rage. Not that he planned on stoking that sentiment in her any time soon. Or ever.
That moment on the terrace where he’d nearly lost total control was an aberration.Never to be repeated.
He skimmed feverishly through that mental list of available women again, sucking in a disgruntled breath when not a single name snagged his interest.
‘I know it’ll sound annoyingly cliché, but since you’ve sprung this on me at the last minute, I hope you won’t need me tomorrow. I’ll have to hunt around for something since I have nothing to wear.’
